Jonathan B. Keates

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(born 1946) is an English writer, biographer, novelist and former chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund.

Biography

Jonathan Keates was born in Paris, France, in 1946. He was educated at

Bryanston School Bryanston School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located next to the village of Bryanston, and near the ...

and went on to read for his undergraduate degree at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. He has written a number of acclaimed biographies and travel books, but his works of fiction have also received critical acclaim, most notably ''Allegro Postillions'', for which he was awarded both the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Un ...

and the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award given annually to a British, Irish or British-based author for a work of "imaginative literature" – including poetry, novels, history, biography and creative non-fiction – published in the pre ...

. He is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

. In addition, Keates was an English teacher employed by the

City of London School The City of London School, also known as CLS and City, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for Single-sex education, boys in the City of London, England, on the banks of the River Thames next to the Millennium Bridge, ...

from 1974 to 2013, where

Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. Radcliffe rose to fame at age twelve for portraying the title character in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He starred in all eight films in the series, from '' Harry Potter a ...

was among one of his students. He was a judge of several writing competitions (including the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...

1991). Keates retired in order to focus on his chairmanship of the Venice in Peril Fund. His latest book, ''La Serenissima: The Story of Venice'' (2022), takes place in 1846 during the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

' siege of Venice.

Awards and distinctions

*1983:

for ''Allegro Postillions'' *1983:

for ''Allegro Postillions'' *1992:

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

Published work

*''Shakespeare Country'' (1979) *''Historic London'' (1979) *''Canterbury Cathedral'' (1980) *''Love of Italy'' (1980) *''Allegro Postillions'' (1983) *''The Companion Guide to the Shakespeare Country'' (1983) *''Drawings and Sketches of Oxford'' (1983) *''Handel: The Man And His Music'' (1985) *''The Strangers' Gallery'' (1987) *''Tuscany'' (1988) *''Italian Journeys'' (1991) *''Umbria'' (1991) *''Stendhal'' (1994) *''Venice'' (1994) *''Purcell: A Biography'' (1995) *''Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture'' (1997) *''Smile Please'' (2001) *''Short Stories'' (2001) *''The Rough Guide History of Italy'' (2003) *''The Siege of Venice'' (2005) *''William III & Mary II Partners in Revolution'' (2015) *''Messiah'' (2016) *

References

Living people 1946 births Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford English biographers English travel writers 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients English male novelists 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers English male biographers Handel scholars {{england-writer-stub